UPS Tests Barge Use In New York Harbor

United Parcel Service Inc. announced on social media that it is exploring the possibility of using barges to move cargoes around New York Harbor. On April 11, UPS public affairs tweeted that it has participated in a test shipment of five truck trailers across New York Harbor. Its partners included Red Hook (N.J.) Terminals, Hughes Marine, the New York City Economic Development Corporation and the U.S. Maritime Administration (MarAd). “This 4.5-mile journey was a first of its kind for UPS,” the company said.

MarAd has been promoting short sea shipping for years as a way of reducing road and rail congestion while pursuing the Biden administration’s goals of reducing carbon emissions. 

The announcement got coverage in several logistics and freight publications, including gCaptain and FreightWaves, which ran a statement by UPS that it is exploring options to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. But the package-delivery giant declined to give more specifics about the program.